The ever increasing desire for security against unauthorized entry has lead to a need for an improved window gate device for the protection of both commercial and residental buildings. In order to be acceptable, a window gate device must combine the diverse requirements of providing a high degree of security against unauthorized entry from outside the building with ease of egress from inside the building. In order to insure that the window gate device may be used effectively, the operation of locking and unlocking the device must be simple and fool proof; the operation of unlocking the device being especially critical. The operation of unlocking the device must be simple and straight-forward so that the device can be easily operated by all persons who may have occasion to be inside the building. The device must be easily operated by children as well as by elderly or infirm persons, especially situations when rapid exit from a building is necessary. The device must function with a high degree of reliability so that the operation of opening the gate from the inside is not impaired even in the most extreme circumstances by either a mechanical failure of the device or by a complex mode of operation which is difficult to accomplish.
The increased interest in encorporating a window gate device in the windows of dwellings as well as in commercial offices has also resulted in a desire for a window gate which is more aesthetically pleasing than the conventional window gates which comprise arrangements of metal bars and grates. This desire for a pleasant appearance when viewed from the inside of the building, with the need for simple construction and simple and reliable operation has lead to the rejection of window gates known in a prior art. Known window gate structures are disclosed, for example, in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 980,535; 1,438,202; 1,633,848; 1,855,865; 3,953,939 and 4,070,048. Devices such as shown in these patents may be characterized by complexity of design and construction, and or by the use of a grill work of bars which result in a generally unsatisfactory appearance for a dwelling for an office. Further known under gates are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,249,345 and 4,384,428.